Improvement in cans for preserving food



A. S. LYMAN'.

Preserving Food.

:Patentd May I1, 1858.

N. PETERS, rma-Mmm waningm. uc.

A. S. LYMAN, OF NET YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN CANS FOR PRESERVING FOOD.

Specification forming part of Leiters Patent No. 20,209, dated Muy ll,LESS.V

To all w/tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. S. LYMAN, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cans forPreserving Food by Filtering from the Air the Causes of Decomposition;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription of the principles of my invention, reference being made tothe accompanying drawing, making a part of this speciiication.

The nature of my invention consists in combining with a can'of largesize, having an arrangement for drawing off its contents, a reservoir ofsome material which shall filter from or neutralize in the air anysubstance which may act as the cause of the commencement of the processof decomposition, so that when ever any of the food is drawn oit' air orgas free from the primary cause of putrefaction shall supply its place.

The iigure represents a vertical section of the apparatus.

A represents the can, which generally consists of a cylinder holdingfrom five to thirty gallons; V, the valve for drawing off its contents;B C, the filter as constructed for using charcoal; m m, colored blue,metallic rubber packing and elastic valve for closing the hole n; w w,colored yellow, a plate bearing 011 the packing m m and covering thetops of the iilter-tubes; t', a small opening for admitting air whenfood is drawn off. It is closed by the valve o, attached to the lever D.D, a lever for opening and closing the air-valves i and u,- r, a smalltube leading from the filter up under the cap x,- m, a cap forsupporting the rubber sheet used for closing the hole a.

If the lever D is raised and food is drawn oft` from the valve V, aportion of air from the upper part of the branch B of the lter passes inthe direction of the arrows through the small tube 1* up under the capx, covered by the sheet m, and down through the valve n into the can,supplying the place of the food, while air flows up the branch B of thefilter from the branch c, and this in turn is supplied by air from theatmosphere by the valve t'.

Great care must be taken, if charcoal is used, that the iilter be hot atthe time it is introduced into the can, and that the charcoal be freshburned and properly packed.

I have made the reservoirs for filters of tinned iron with soft solderin the joints, and have prepared them for use as follows: First, I setthe empty filter-chamber B C, which is attached to the cover, intoanother can of hot water without any cement in the top, and take livingsoftwood coals from the fire, drop t-hem into the filter-tubes, and withan iron rod crush them there. By the time the tubes can be properlypacked and are full, if whitepine coa-l or other soft wood is used,there is no fire except a very little at the upper end. Then place thepacking m m around the openings at the top of the filter. Upon thispacking place the plate w w, covering the openings of the filter, anddraw it down with screws and nuts. Now lift the iilter out of the can ofhot water and set it immediately into the can of food while the steam isescaping from the food. The steam will in a few moments have forced theair from the can ofi' at s under the joints of the cover; but there isprobably some uneombined oxygen in the small tube r and under the cap x,and possibly a little between theeharcoal and top plate above the branchB of the ilter. To drive this out I open a small hole at t and the valven and turn the cement into the outer joint, s. The vapor will thenescape by the valve u, in a direction contrary to the arrows, down intothe upper part of the branch B of the filter, up through the tube h, andoff by the hole t. It probably dampens the charcoal in the top of thatbranch of the filter through which it passes; but if it deposits nothingthere but pure distilled water it is thought that no harm will result.Vhen the vapor has escaped a few moments from the hole t, I close thishole t effectually and immediately remove the can from t the heater. Airnow enters ,the filter at t' and passes, in the direction of the arrows,down into the branch c of the filter, while air deprived of its oxygen,also ot' all animalculze and of all impurities which might act as aferment, moves up from the branch B of the lter, thence by the smalltube 1' up under the cap fr, down the valve u into the spa-ce above thefood, iilling the vacuum being formed by the condensing steam.

It is not impossible but that a very small portion of carbonio acid maypass with the iirst nitrogen from the lter into the can; but it isbelieved that as long as no free oxygen enters the can the carbonio-acidgas will do no harm. After the first few minutes nothing but purenitrogen can enter the can.

If the filter is proportioned as shown inthe figurefthe canrcontainingtwenty-five gallons of food, thefilter would contain over two gallons ofcharcoal, and all the air entering the can must pass a distance of overfour feet in this lter. The charcoal in the filter will absorb fivetimes as much oxygen as is contained in a can full of atmospheric air.rIhe charcoal also absorbs any impurity which might by acting as aferment cause decomposition.

Zhen we wish to transport this can of food or letit stand a long timewithout being used, fasten down the lever D, so as to close the openingsfi and n. Vhen this is done, the fluid cannot be dashed over into thecharcoal filter. All communication is also by this means cut off betweenthe charcoal filter and the atmosphere. If we would preserve the *Yfilter in the most perfect condition possible,

we should open the passages (by raising the lever D) only when Ywe woulddraw off' food from the pan.

It is a somewhat serious defect in this can 'that fruit cannot bepreserved in it without not only being deprived of its skin and stones,but also mashed, so that it will iiow from the valve. Fresh fish must bedeprived of its bones, oured, and mixed with gelatine or water, so thatit can be drawn off. Beef, mutton,` and other meats must also beprepared in the same manner'.

The filter may perhaps be made much smaller and more convenient byusingmerely a small reservoir of binoXide of nitrogen, which immediatelyseizes the free oxygen of the air and converts it into nitrous acidvapors. rI`hese vapors are absorbed by water, but I believe do no harmin small quantities; but,

sorbs all these particles that would otherwise v enter. It also absorbsthe oxygen, and will, I believe, strain out all animalculze or fungi. Atany rate, it answers the purpose well, and is everywhere-easilyobtained.

It is evident that we may vary the materials used for the filter and theform and size of their reservoir without altering the general principlesof the apparatus in any important Y particular. It will, however, befound true in every arrangement of' this improved can that wheneverwedraw off food bythe valve V air to supply its place enters the can,leaving in the filter the oxygen, the animalculte,

the leaven, or whatever it may be` that causes the commencement of theprocess of decomposition.

I claim as my improvement in cans for preserving food-- The combinationof the reservoir or filter of suitable material with a can having anarrangement for discharging its contents in such a manner that wheneverany food is drawn off air or gas deprived of the primary cause ofdecomposition shall supply its place, substantially as and for thepurposes specified.

AZEL STORES LYMAN. lVitnesses:

J. W. Posr, WVM. T. LYMAN.

